The Vietnam War Ended 50 Years Ago today......

  Quang Tri, Vietnam

Tim in 'Nam, early in my tour there. I turned 20 in Vietnam.

The war Vietnamese call it "The American War", and it started on 11/1/55. It ended on 4/30/1975.

I was there for just shy of a year in 1970. AFVN Detachment 5 in Quang Tri.
 

Me, at 19, in Quang Tri, Vietnam

 

Following the Pope Hunt?

 

Frances was as close to a gay-friendly Pope you'll likely find in your lifetime (remember "who am I to say?") And it is possible, even likely, the new post-Frances gathering will be less so:

 

"African bishops had made a remarkably united stand last year against Francis’ outreach to LGBTQ+ people, refusing to implement his declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples.* Given such a stand, there is some speculation that the 18 African cardinal electors could help block a progressive candidate from emerging."

*WWJD? Refuse to bless a loving relationship?

No Shock Here

 

The Friendliest Accents in the U.S.

The Southern accent is ranked as America’s friendliest accent. Over one in three people find this accent—most commonly associated with Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina—‘friendly’. The Texan accent specifically was voted the third friendliest accent, with 31% of participants finding it pleasant. Since many people associate the South with hospitality and a quiet, simpler way of life, it’s easy to see why these accents claimed the top spots.

Hawaii is another place people associate with a more laid back lifestyle, so it’s no wonder the Hawaiian accent came in second place, with 34% of people considering it friendly. 

These three accents also came out as the most charming from our list, with the Hawaiian accent also being named the most soothing, highlighting its laid back and welcoming nature.

The Hawaiian accent also received some of the lowest votes for annoying accents. The Alaskan accent was voted as the least annoying, with only 3% of people finding it annoying.

Alabama College Democrats

Their description of tRump, who will blabber at a University event this week:

 

“a whiny, childish autocrat.”

Reminder

Today is a state holiday:

Confederate Memorial Day, one of three Confederate-related holidays in the state. It is recognized on the fourth Monday in April every year.

U.S. Civil War History

 On this date 160 years ago, Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes was released from custody and returned to his hometown of Mobile.

He had been in jail after his arrest by Northern military forces towards the end of the American Civil War.

My friend and former co-worker Bob Corley and I created a blog about the CSS Alabama, the ship Semmes used during the Civil War to sink Northern ships. You can see the entries from that blog HERE.

 (left) That's Semmes at the front of The CSS Alabama. She was eventually sunk off the coast of France on June 9th, 1864.

Bob and I eventually had to drop the project when Alabama Public Television dropped the funding.

From a NY Times Column, Trump speaks.

 

What was it Trump said about Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, during his first term in office? “Hey, he’s the head of a country. And I mean he is the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different,” Trump said in 2018. “He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

He wants his people to do the same.

Full column by Jamelle Bouie is HERE.

CBS Turmoil

 

CBS News entered a new period of turmoil on Tuesday after the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, said that he would resign from the long-running Sunday news program because he had lost his journalistic independence.

In an extraordinary declaration, Mr. Owens — only the third person to run the program in its 57-year history — told his staff in a memo that “over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience.”

“So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,” he wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times.

“60 Minutes” has faced mounting pressure in recent months from both President Trump, who sued CBS for $10 billion and has accused the program of “unlawful and illegal behavior,” and its own corporate ownership at Paramount, the parent company of CBS News.

Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is eager to secure the Trump administration’s approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company to Skydance, a company run by the son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison. She has expressed a desire to settle Mr. Trump’s case, which stems from what the president has called a deceptively edited interview in October with Vice President Kamala Harris that aired on “60 Minutes.”

Legal experts have dismissed that suit as baseless and far-fetched, and Mr. Owens said in February that he would not apologize as part of any prospective settlement. Many journalists at CBS News — the former home of Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace — believe that a settlement would amount to a capitulation to Mr. Trump over what they consider standard-issue gripes about editorial judgment.

In his memo on Tuesday, Mr. Owens pledged that “‘60 Minutes’ will continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations.” He added: “The show is too important to the country. It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer.”

Mr. Owens had also led a recent overhaul of “CBS Evening News,” the news division’s flagship weeknight show. He first worked at CBS as a summer intern in 1988, and was named the executive producer of “60 Minutes” in 2019.

Mr. Trump has often singled out “60 Minutes” for scorn. In 2020, he cut short an interview with Lesley Stahl after he became displeased with her questions. He declined to be interviewed by the program during last year’s presidential campaign.

On April 13, apparently irked by that evening’s edition of the show, Mr. Trump accused “60 Minutes” of “fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting” in a social media post and urged his government regulators to strip CBS of its broadcast license. “CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this,” Mr. Trump wrote.

Executives at Paramount and at Skydance took notice of the president’s angry comments, according to three people familiar with internal discussions. Settlement talks between Paramount and Mr. Trump are ongoing, and the two sides have chosen a mediator to help resolve the case.

In recent months, “60 Minutes” has also faced scrutiny from Ms. Redstone herself, who complained to CBS executives about a story focused on the Biden administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. One day after that segment aired, a veteran CBS producer, Susan Zirinsky, was appointed to a new role overseeing the news division’s journalistic standards.

Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News and Stations, wrote in a separate note on Tuesday that she remained “committed to ‘60 Minutes’ and to ensuring that the mission and the work remain our priority.”

She also praised Mr. Owens. “Standing behind what he stood for was an easy decision for me, and I never took for granted that he did the same for me,” she wrote.

Benjamin Mullin and Lauren Hirsch contributed reporting.

The U.S. of Authoritarianism?

 

WASHINGTON — A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism.

In the benchmark survey, known as Bright Line Watch, U.S.-based professors rate the performance of American democracy on a scale from zero (complete dictatorship) to 100 (perfect democracy). After President Trump's election in November, scholars gave American democracy a rating of 67. Several weeks into Trump's second term, that figure plummeted to 55.

"That's a precipitous drop," says John Carey, a professor of government at Dartmouth and co-director of Bright Line Watch. "There's certainly consensus: We're moving in the wrong direction."

SOURCE: HERE.

One Alabama City is on the list.

 The Orkin company has published a list of the 50 American Cities facing the worst infestation danger from termites.

The top ten?

Miami

Los Angeles

Tampa, Fla.

Washington, D.C.

Orlando, Fla.

West Palm Beach, Fla.

Houston

San Diego

Baltimore

Dallas

LOWER, but still on the top fifty is Mobile....#43

End of mail

 This was my mail slot during my years working at Alabama Public TV, empty on my last day working there.

Putin Peace for Easter. He is SUCH a holy man!

 

00:

CNN  — 

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a brief Easter ceasefire in his war with Ukraine, a declaration met with skepticism in Kyiv as the war enters a crucial phase and US-led negotiations stall.

 

 

Putin said “all hostilities” would halt between 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday (11 a.m. ET) and midnight on Monday (5 p.m. Sunday ET).

(THEN...he'll open fire again. I'm sure Jesus will be pleased.)

 

Alabama in New York City

 

A street in New York Named for Claudette Colvin.

Obit

 Another longtime friend of mine has passed. Here is his obit, courtesy of his partner, Leon.

Douglas Lynn Smith

Doug, as known by family and friends, was born on June 8, 1952, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a long-time resident of Sebring, Florida and passed away on April 16, 2025, in Lake Placid, Florida, after a long, bravely fought battle with Parkinson’s Disease. During the progression of the disease, Doug never complained about his worsening condition, rather choosing to quietly fight his battles with dignity, determination and grace.

He is survived by his long-time, devoted friend and caregiver, Leon Gober; sister, Susan Sparks and her husband, Michael Sparks (both of Oneonta, Alabama); brother, Harold Smith (of Vero Beach, Florida); and nephews Eric Sparks, Kevin Sparks and Jacky Smith.

Doug was preceded in death by his father, Lynn Thomas Smith; mother, Mary Fay Smith; aunt, Ray Glenn (all from Oneonta, Alabama, at their passing), and sister, Marion Smith (from Huntsville, Alabama.)

He graduated from Oneonta High School, Oneonta, Alabama, in 1970. Then he attended Birmingham Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama, with a B.A. degree in Communications.

During Doug’s early career he was an aspiring actor attending the HB Studio in New York City and also worked in advertising in New York City, New York, and later at Pizitz Department Store in Birmingham, Alabama. Later he worked in administration at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida, and then in personnel management at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama. He retired as Human Resource Manager from the Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Port Charlotte, Florida.

A life well-lived: a caring soul, a loving spirit and a witty personality. Doug will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known him. Well done Doug!

IKAS * YMTF

 

"Moon Tree" 49th Anniversary

Today is the 49th Anniversary of the (now fully grown) loblolly pine "Moon Tree" planted on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol building in 1976. See it HERE.

 On March 20th of this year, another "moon tree" was planted in Huntsville.

 

ANOTHER reason to HATE TRUMP.

 from AL.COM

Jimmy Carter “died a happy man” because he “wasn’t the worst president,” Donald Trump said Thursday.

Carter died Dec. 29 at age 100.

Trump made the cruel joke while telling reporters ex-President Joe Biden presided over “the worst administration in the history of our country.

NO, DONALD, YOU, AND YOU ALONE ARE the WORST (of EVERYTHING!) Thanks for the daily reminder.

Alabama residents have almost the LEAST amount of money in the bank:

 

Key Takeaways

• Households in Hawaii have the most cash in the bank at $43,600.
• In contrast, the median bank balance in Mississippi is about $2,000.

 

Affordable Rent Cities

 

Montgomery ranks 88th on a list of 182 U.S. cities with the most (and least) affordable rents. 

Huntsville is ranked 14th.

Mobile 112th. 

Birmingham is 175th. 

See the full list HERE.

NPR/PBS

 From NPR

The Trump administration has drafted a memo to Congress outlining its intent to end nearly all federal funding for public media, which includes NPR and PBS, according to a White House official who spoke to NPR.

The memo, which the administration plans to send to Congress when it reconvenes from recess on April 28, will open a 45-day window in which the House and Senate can either approve the rescission or allow the money to be restored.

The official, who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity, confirmed the existence of the draft.

In a statement on Monday that did not refer to the memo, the White House said: "For years, American taxpayers have been on the hook for subsidizing National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'" The statement includes examples of what the White House said is "trash that passes as 'news'" and "intolerance of non-leftist viewpoints."

Recommended Reading

 

 "I have never been more afraid for America’s future in my life."

FROM A Thomas Friedman column in the NY Times.

1918 Children in NYC

 

5th Anniversary of F-35 Announcement for Alabama

 

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Air National Guard units based in Wisconsin and Alabama have been awarded squadrons of F-35 fighter jets, the U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday, overcoming vocal opposition from people who live near the base in Wisconsin's capital city.

The jets will be placed with the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field in Madison and with the 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field in Montgomery, Alabama. The first jets are expected to arrive in late 2023.

The jets will replace older F-16 aircraft and will allow the Air Force to meet other requirements for readiness and training, the Air Force said in a statement.

Locating the jets in Madison has divided the state and community over the past three years, with many people who live near the airport saying noise and pollution from the jets will lessen their quality of life and value of their homes. The Air Force said in a preliminary report that noise from the F-35s could make more than 1,000 homes “incompatible for residential use.”

But there was a broad base of support that included businesses, communities, economic developers, office holders, veterans and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Supporters argued that concerns over the noise are overblown and there won't be much difference from the current F-16s. Advocates said having the next generation of jets will be an economic development boost, ensuring the future of the base in Madison, which employs about 1,200 people.

Madison’s City Council passed a resolution opposing the jets, but the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce has been a vocal supporter. The chamber, which represents businesses in Madison, said the Air National Guard wing has a $100 million annual economic impact on the community. There was also bipartisan support from Wisconsin politicians, including both its Democratic and Republican U.S. senators.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat who represents Madison, said Wednesday that the Air Force never sufficiently addressed his request that the Air Force pay for soundproofing or any financial losses those who live near the base may suffer due to reduced property values.

And Democratic state Rep. Chris Taylor, one of the most vocal critics of the jets, called placing them in a Madison an “unfortunate and harmful decision" that will hurt people's health, quality of life and lower property values.

“Instead of listening to our community, the Air Force is intent on foisting these jets on a place they are not wanted," she said.

Maj. Gen Paul Knapp, leader of the Wisconsin National Guard, praised the awarding of the jets to the base in Madison and said he looked forward to working in partnership with the city and surrounding communities.

"Through collaboration, I’m confident we will continue to be good stewards of the communities in which we work and live," he said.

Three other bases considered for the jets were in Boise, Idaho; Harrison Township, Michigan; and Jacksonville, Florida.

About The PA Governors house ARSON!

 from the N.Y. Times story:

"Once state police became aware of a security breach on the property, they set out looking for an intruder. But, in a matter of minutes, Mr. Balmer was able to break in, set the fire and escape back over the same fence he had scaled to get in, officials said."

Surely there will be a house cleaning at the Pennsylvania State Troopers?

WHY I moved to Alabama in 1976

That's a question I am frequently asked in talking with visitors to the Alabama Capitol building, where I am a docent.

Many people move for a job, and that was my motivation back then, though I figured I would spend "a few years" in the South.

Once I arrived, in Birmingham initially, other opportunities led me to stay much longer...promotions, relationships, home purchases etc.

So here I am, almost a half CENTURY later, still in 'Bama.
 

ASU celebration

 Fred & Carol Grey, with CNN's Nick Valencia (on the right) on Thursday on the ASU campus. It was great to meet them & hear their stories!